Eurasia Insight
July 29

Uzbekistan is preparing for a bumper wheat crop. Authorities have angered farmers, however, by taking steps to limit profits.

Uzbek officials in the Ministry of Agriculture and Water are projecting that this year's wheat harvest is likely to set a record. In terms of productivity, the average hectare of wheat is yielding 44.2 quintals this year, up from 42.3 quintals per hectare in 2002, the Interfax news agency reported. Uzbek authorities say 4.1 million tons of wheat have already been gathered this year with 72 percent of the harvest complete. At roughly the same point in 2002, which was a record year, 4.4 million tons had been gathered with 91 percent of the harvest complete.

The 2003 harvest figures have already prompted some Uzbek specialists to raise the possibility that Uzbekistan could soon become a grain exporter, according to a July 16 report by the Pravda.ru web site. At the same time, statistics may not tell the whole story concerning the harvest, as many farmers are feeling their efforts aren't being properly rewarded.

The situation on the Yusuf Hushvaktov collective farm in Kashkadaria province is representative of farmers' discontent. The administration has decided to drastically reduce the amount of crops that farmers can keep for individual profit. Under terms of a contract concluded between the administration and farmers, the latter was to receive 100 percent of the crop produced in excess of the amount specified in the agreement. But recently officials informed farmers that they will be able to retain only 20 percent of the extra crops. Administrators explained the decision by saying the Hushvaktov farm needed the remaining 80 percent of crops to pay outstanding debts, members of the collective say.

On the Hushvaktov collective, farmers say they would each stand to earn an additional 60 dollars or so, averaging roughly five dollars per month, if terms of the original contract were honored. As it is, the farmers have received only 14 percent of the amount that they originally expected.

Farmers claim the Hushvaktov collective's leadership misled them in order to ensure that the gain crop would be collected and the state's quota fulfilled. They are also quick to suspect that the collective's leadership is engaging in corrupt practices. "The collective farm's chairman … has been in his position for less than two years," one farmer said. "When he took over this position, he did not even have a car. … Despite the collective farm's huge debts, the chairman managed to build a new house for himself, and buy a car. Where did he obtain the money?"

Disgruntled agricultural workers say local government authorities have rejected formal complaints about the farm's leadership.

There is similar discontent in other parts of Uzbekistan. For example, workers on a collective farm in Bukhara province have complained about a barter arrangement in which they received low-grade rice fixed at top-quality prices in exchange for their labor and services. Those who dared to object were deprived of the land lots they lease from the collective farm.

Meanwhile, in Samarkand province, the akim, or regional governor, reportedly pressured tenant farmers to surrender a portion of their income for the construction of athletic facilities. Those who refused faced intense scrutiny from the regional prosecutor's office, according to local farmers.

Agricultural entrepreneurs not affiliated with a collective farm reportedly face even greater bureaucratic pressure. Contrary to agricultural legislation, for example, government officials in Uzbekistan's provinces often try to exert influence over private farms, telling agricultural entrepreneurs what to grow and when to plant and harvest.

Some private farmers also say they are required to provide a de facto harvest surcharge to the state of 12 quintals of wheat from each hectare under cultivation, over and above the amounts mandated in contracts concluded with state officials. Many add that after meeting the state's harvest requirements they have little left over that they can sell privately. Yet, few private farmers complain. Those that object to government practices often find themselves deprived of access to fuel and fertilizers, thus raising the immediate threat of bankruptcy.

Many farmers, both private and collective, consider local agricultural officials as a major obstacle to a viable agricultural sector. "Chairmen of collective farms are prime enemies of national reforms carried out at present," said one farmer in the Nishan district of Kashkadaria Province. The farmer said many collective farm bosses are more concerned with preserving their authority than they are in encouraging initiative that could lead to better harvests.

"At times, our crop decays in the fields, but the chairmen deliberately stay idle, and do not send combines to our fields," the Nishan farmer said. "And the law fails to prosecute them… But if a farmer dares to sow clover instead of cotton, he is declared a public enemy and is thrown behind bars."

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